


The Fraser Vecchio Recipe Book

by ButterflyGhost



Category: due South
Genre: Birthday, Food Porn, OT3 implied, Recipes, dsvb challenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-20
Updated: 2015-09-20
Packaged: 2018-04-22 14:31:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4838876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ButterflyGhost/pseuds/ButterflyGhost
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ray Vecchio's first birthday back after Vegas. Fraser and Ma Vecchio have very different approaches to the fine art of recipes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Fraser Vecchio Recipe Book

 

**What Fraser cooks on Ray’s first birthday after Vegas**

 

**Trout and cabbage**

 

“Trout and cabbage? Benny, did you bump your head again? What makes you think trout and cabbage are a good mix?”

 

“Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it, Vecchio.”

 

“Don’t knock it till I’ve tried it? What is _wrong_ with you, Stanley?”

 

“Ray has a point, Ray.

 

“Stanley has a head injury is what _he_ has. ‘Trout and cabbage....’”

**_[pause for stage direction. Ray takes a doubtful bite of the meal and....]_ **

 

“What?”

 

“Oh my God.”

 

“Told you Fraser knew what he was doing.”

 

“Wow. That’s almost as good as Ma’s cooking. Weird, but delicious.”

 

“‘Weird but delicious.’ Hey, I like that. 'Weird but delicious.' That’s Fraser for you.”

 

“Mrgh nom nom nom.”

 

“Don’t eat all of it!”

 

“It’s my birthday!”

 

“Don’t speak with your mouthful, Ray.”

 

_**[Gulp.]** _ “Okay, Benny. I was wrong. You can cook.”

 

**_[Pause for stage direction. Fraser looks smug.]_ **

 

“Don’t look so smug, Benny.”

 

“Yeah, Fraser, gloating doesn’t suit you.”

 

“I do not look smug.”

 

**_[Pause for stage direction. Fraser no longer looks smug. He looks huffy.]_ **

 

“You know, you kinda did, Fraser.”

 

“I did what?”

 

“Look smug.”

 

“He kind of did.” _**[Pause for stage direction. The birthday boy is also looking smug.]**   _“Mind you – he has a lot to be smug about.”

 

“You, Vecchio, have a dirty mind.”

 

"Yeah. And you love it, don’t you?”

 

“Ray!”  _ **[Pause for stage direction. Vecchio has done something left to the reader's imagination, which makes Fraser blush.]**_

 

“Finish your dinner first, Vecchio. Dessert’s later.”

 

“Happy birthday, Ray.”

 

“Yeah, happy birthday, Style Pig.”

 

 

**The Recipe**

  
**Ingredients**  
2 fillets trout  
heart of savoy cabbage  
olive oil  
200 grams unsalted butter  
1 tbs. double cream

  
**Beurre Blanc**  
1 finely chopped shallot  
2 cl. chardonnay vinegar  
6 cl. dry white wine  
2 tbs. double cream  
200 g. unsalted French butter  
3 g. chopped chervil

**Method**  
1. Score the skin of the trout, season to taste and leave to rest for 10 minutes.  
2. We all know how to cook cabbage, but if not, then shred the cabbage. Heat a saucepan over a medium heat with a little oil. Add the butter and cabbage, sweat gently for 2 minutes until the cabbage softens. Add 2 table spoons of water, cover with a tight fitting lid and simmer until the cabbage is tender. (Five minutes or less, depending how crisp you like it.) Add the double cream, bring to the boil. Remove from heat and keep warm.

 

**For The Butter Sauce**  
3. In a small saucepan combine the chopped shallot, white wine vinegar and white wine. Reduce over a high heat until almost dry. Remove pan from the heat, add the double cream and bring to the boil.  
4. Reduce the heat to low and start whisking in the cold butter piece by piece until you have a smooth and velvety sauce. Remove from heat and keep warm.

(Or you can cheat and buy some ready made – even white sauce works. But it has to be said, butter sauce is awesome.)

**To Cook the Fish**  
5. Heat a non-stick pan; add a little oil until hot. Place the trout skin side down and cook over a medium to high heat until the skin starts to turn crispy around the edges.  
6. Turn the trout over and add a knob of butter and baste the fish with the foaming butter for 1 minute.  
7. Remove the trout from the pan onto a piece of kitchen paper to drain. The fish should still be rare in the middle.  
8. Place a spoonful of cabbage onto a warmed serving plate. Add the chopped chervil to the butter sauce and spoon around the cabbage.  
9. Place the trout on top of the cabbage and serve immediately.

 

 

 

 

**What Ma cooks for Ray on his first birthday back from Vegas**

 

“Raimondo, why are you not eating?”

 

“I’m sorry, Ma – I’m not very hungry.”

 

“What, my cooking isn’t good enough for you anymore?”

 

“You’re cooking’s great. Just – I already had a birthday dinner with Benny and Kowalski.”

 

“Oh, and what did they cook you that was so delicious you won’t even eat what your mother puts in front of you?”

 

“Uh, trout and cabbage.”

 

“Trout and cabbage!” **_[Pause for stage direction. Ma is blessing herself – what is an appearance by Ma without an Italian stereotype?]_** “My poor bambino, _**[see what I mean?]**_  no wonder you lost your appetite. Men cooking  and one of them Polish. Of _course_ there was cabbage.”

 

“Uh, it was actually very good....”

 

“Yes, yes. I’m sure it was.” _**[Pause for stage direction. Ma is looking appropriately affectionate. You know, the way mothers do.]**   _“You always were such a nice boy – of course you wouldn’t want to hurt their feelings. Don’t worry, I’ll look after you.”

 

“Uh, Ma....”

 

“Your favourite. Pasta Fajool.”

_**[Pause for stage direction. Ray looks longingly at his plate.]**  _“Okay, just a bit....”

 

**_[Ten Minutes Later.]_  ** “Raimondo! Leave some for when our guests get here!”

 

“They’re not here yet!”

 

_**[Pause for stage direction. Ma looks quietly pleased with herself, and pats Ray’s complete lack of hair.]** _

 

“Ma!”

 

“You have sauce on your chin....”

 

“I’m not a baby, I can get it myself....”

 

**_[Pause for stage direction. Ma starts dabbing the sauce off with a napkin. Fraser and Kowalski turn up. Kowalski looks smug.]_ **

 

“Hey, I always knew you should wear a bib....”

 

“Shut up, Stanley.”

 

“Raimondo! Your friends are hardly in the door! Show some manners.”

 

_**[Pause for stage direction. Ma lays out more plates, starts serving.]** _

 

“Oh, thank you kindly Mrs Vecchio, but –”

 

“‘Ma. You call me ‘Ma.’”

 

**_[Pause for stage direction. Fraser pulls at his collar and rubs his eyebrow. What would a dS fic be without Fraser’s nervous tics?]_ **

“Uhm... yes. Ma. Well, we’ve already eaten and –”

 

“I heard. ‘Trout and cabbage.’” **_[Pause for stage direction. Ma tuts disapprovingly, then tousles Fraser’s pelt. Hair I mean, hair. Kowalski leaps to Fraser’s culinary defense.]_**

“It was really good, Ma.” _**[Pause for stage direction. Ma beams, and tousles Kowalski’s experimental hair. What would a due South fic be without a hair discussion?]**_ “Such nice boys. If only you had women to look after you. They’d never let you eat trout and cabbage.”

 

“Ma!” **_[The Real Ray Vecchio.]_   **“It was great!”

 

“Oh my God.” _ **[The Real Ray Vecchio winces. For once Ma doesn’t clout anyone for blasphemy.]**   _“Frase, you gotta try this.”

 

“Hmm... yes, just a little....” _**[Pause for stage direction.]**   _“Oh my....” **_[Pause for authorial explanation: Fraser does not in fact sound like George Takei.]_  **“That really is delicious.”

 

**_[Pause for stage direction. Silence falls for a while as everyone focuses on the wonder that is Ma’s cooking.]_ **

“Hey, Benny, Stanley –”

 

“Less of the ‘Stanley’, Baldy.” **_[Pause for stage direction. Vecchio is too happy to snark back.]_**

 

“You know, I just figured. It’s my birthday. I can have more than one birthday dinner, can’t I?”

 

**_[Pause for stage direction. A chorus of affirmation, followed by a round of happy munching.]_ **

“Ma – I love you.”

 

“I know, Raimondo. I know.” **_[Pause.]_**   “So, who wants cake?”

 

**The Recipe**

 

Bung a load of beans and lentils – puy is best – soaked over night or from a tin – with tomatoes into a deep pan. Tinned tomatoes, passata, fresh tomatoes - it doesn't really matter. In fact, you can use a mix.

 

Also, remember:: slow cookers are a wonderful invention, and Ma doesn’t know how she managed without one.

 

Pour in a stock of your choosing.

 

Add red wine to taste and a tablespoon of molasses. Or muscovado sugar, but molasses is earthier. Also,. tomato based sauces like molasses, and it is a great source of iron.

 

In olive oil fry a load of courgettes, mushrooms, onions, peppers and garlic. Fresh chilli pepper if you like it. Set them aside.

 

Let the beany tomato mix reduce slowly in a crock pot (or slow cooker – see above) for as long as you can bear the delicious smells emanating from your kitchen. (Try and leave it for a minimum of four hours. More if you can stand it.)

 

Your tomato sauce should now be a deep red, with almost a touch of brown. (If it's still tomato red you haven't cooked it long enough.) When the sauce looks happy enough add your courgettes, onions, mushrooms, garlic and whatever else you like. It should be the consistency of a nice thick soup. If it isn't, add more passata or stock, or wine. Or all of them. The more the merrier.

 

Fifteen to twenty minutes ahead of serving chuck in the pasta of your choice. (Farfalle works really well.) A few minutes before serving add freshly shredded herbs to taste. Making sure there is lots and lots of basil – oh Lord, the basil. (Oregano, rosemary and thyme aren't bad either. Oh. And don't forget the cracked black pepper.)

 

When the pasta is right serve it on a plate. Depending on whether it ended up as a thick broth or a sturdy pasta meal you serve it with either garlic bread, or a nice salad. (Spinach and arugula are perfect for the latter.)

 

Make at least twice as much as you think you’ll need; believe me, everyone comes back for seconds.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> The first recipe is organised like a military operation (and tastes good, according to my fish eating friends. It certainly smells delicious.) I imagine that Fraser would approach cooking as a technical exercise at which he must excel. And that the results would be outstanding, once he'd practiced it a number of times, and got over the trauma of having set the kitchen on fire the second time. (He has bannock trauma. He really needs counselling.)
> 
> The original for this recipe can be found here: http://www.andrewfairlie.co.uk/andrew-fairlie/cooking-at-home/recipes/wild-sea-trout,-savoy-cabbage-and-beurre-blanc 
> 
> The second recipe is Ma's approach (much nearer to mine, I must confess.) I'm pretty sure her recipe would also be outstanding. Well, I hear it is anyway, since I cook it at least once a week.
> 
> All hail dS for introducing me to the joy of Fajool.


End file.
